ISO 26000 - Social responsibility

Business and organizations do not operate in a vacuum. Their relationship to the society and environment in which they operate is a critical factor in their
ability to continue to operate effectively. It is also increasingly being used as a measure of their
overall performance.

ISO 26000 provides
guidance on how businesses and organizations can operate in a socially responsible way. This means acting
in an ethical and transparent
way that contributes to the health and welfare of society.

Video: ISO and social responsibility

ISO
26000:2010

ISO
26000:2010 provides guidance rather than requirements, so it cannot be certified to unlike
some other
well-known
ISO standards. Instead, it helps clarify what social responsibility is, helps businesses and organizations
translate principles into effective actions and shares best practices relating to social responsibility,
globally. It is aimed at all types of organizations regardless of their activity, size or location.

The
standard was launched in 2010 following five years of negotiations between many different
stakeholders across the world. Representatives from government, NGOs, industry, consumer groups and
labour organizations around the world were involved in its development, which means it represents an
international consensus.

Support for implementing ISO 26000

ISO
26000 was developed by a working group of about 500 experts. At the publication of this standard the
working group was disbanded. However, the leadership of the working group was retained to provide support
and expertise for users. This is now called the Post Publication Organization, or PPO, for ISO 26000.

The ISO 26000 PPO has produced the following document(s) to support the implementation
of ISO 26000:

Communication Protocol – Describes appropriate wordings
organizations
can use to communicate about their use of ISO 26000 - Download pdf

ISO
26000 basic training materials in the form of a powerpoint and training protocol
guidance (pdf).

Upcoming documents include:

Those
that link ISO 26000 with the OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises and the UN Agenda 2030 (Sustainable
Development Goals).

Those for the Systematic Review of ISO 26000, due to begin 15
January 2017.

For more information about ISO 26000 and examples of its implementation
see
www.iso26000.info.

Contact ISO 26000 PPO

Ludvig Hubendick

Secretary of ISO 26000 PPO

Swedish Standards Institute

ludvig.hubendick@sis.se

Sweden

News

In January 2016, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development came into effect. Now, the eyes of the world are on solutions to guide international development and cooperation for the 17 initiatives (goals) over the next 15 years. Can ISO 26000 make a difference ?

International Standards are playing an ever increasing role in social responsibility as organizations shift their focus from one of managing risks to having a competitive advantage, according to experts at a recent international conference in Stockholm, Sweden